SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa is a big country – five times bigger than Britain. It stretches from the Limpopo River bordering Botswana in the north, to the beautiful Cape nearly 2,000 kilometers to the south where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet – from Namaqualand along the barren west coast to subtropical Kwa Zulu Natal 1,500 kilometers east. Enclosed within South Africa are the independent countries of Lesotho and Swaziland.

South Africa has 11 official languages which represent its diverse peoples and cultures. It has an infrastructure envied by many countries to the north and a variety of wonderful places to stay and travel services to accommodate all budgets and tastes.

The coastline rewards travelers with spectacular scenery and amazing marine life and is lapped by two oceans. The interiors provide superior wildlife viewing opportunities, strengthened and protected by internationally renowned conservation practices.

South Africa's history is fascinating and the peaceful transition from an apartheid regime to a democracy in 1994 brought both celebration, renewed international investment and global inspiration. Every new democracy has its own problems. As borders re-opened and others flooded in to enjoy the economic success and opportunities the country offered, South Africa has continued to fight for growth and development and the protection of its democratic legacy. The successful bid to host 2010's World Cup Soccer event is evidence of the progress the country has made in recent years.

There is no other country on the African continent that offers what South Africa does:

CAPE TOWN – "the fairest Cape in all the world" – where one can embark on a shark safari at sunrise, hike Table Mountain in the afternoon and enjoy an excellent seafood dinner at one of the world's most successful waterfronts.

CAPE WINELANDS – superb historic estates and innovative hi-tech wineries, most located amidst spectacular vineyard valleys and mountain slopes only an hour or two from Cape Town, and stretching further into the interior – many winning international wine awards and oenological acclaim

GARDEN ROUTE – one of the loveliest coastal strips – beaches and bays, cliffs, mountains and forests and wonderful whale watching

KRUGER NATIONAL PARK and its adjoining wildlife concessions – unrivalled big cat encounters and a huge diversity of African wildlife

KWA ZULU NATAL – tropical Indian Ocean coastline and wilderness interiors where the White Rhino was rescued from extinction and the iSimangaliso Wetland Park is now a World Heritage Site

ZULULAND BATTLEFIELDS – where Anglo, Zulu and Boer wars were waged

DRAKENSBERG MOUNTAIN RANGE ("BARRIER OF SPEARS") – offering great hiking, ancient rock art, and spectacular flora and scenery

MADIKWE – malaria free wildlife viewing and home to packs of endangered wild dog

KIMBERLEY'S "BIG HOLE" – diamond mining history that brought fortune seekers to the southern tip of Africa

NAMAQUALAND WILD FLOWERS – when the rains come to this region, the explosion of colour and floral beauty in these semi desert landscapes draws visitors from around the world as the wide plains are briefly covered in myriads of flowers

South Africa – truly a world in one country …….